C&D Features Green Normas

Two ATG prepared Norma M20F sports racers are featured in an article in the March edition of Car & Driver magazine. The cars are featured in a segment called "Bio-Racing – Little Green Racing Machines."

Automotive Technology Group (ATG) of Irvine, California, took two normally aspirated, gas powered Norma M20F 2.0 liter sports car and converted them to run on bio-ethanol (a type of E85), resulting in increased horsepower output of 10% while significantly reducing emissions. Both cars ran flawlessly for the full duration of the NASA 25 hour of Thunderhill endurance in Northern California. One of the cars finished 2nd place overall capping off an exciting race where the two E85 powered cars repeatedly reset fast lap of the race.

Read the full Car & Driver article.

The cars were also featured in the February 2008 issue of Ethanol Producers Magazine in a ten page article that discussed the Thunderhill race and the merits of Bio-Ethanol in race cars. The article titled "Quick off the Straw" has drawn attention from all automotive sectors.

Read the full Ethanol Producers Magazine article.

For more information on the Norma M20F or the E85 conversion, email James Vaughn at jvaughn@automotivetechnologygroup.com or go to the

[ Automotive Technology Group website ]

[ Read more ] ::

New NA Endurance Series Starts in April

The International Sports Car Manufacturers Association (ISCMA) has announced a new C-Class sportsracer series – the North American Modern Endurance Challenge – sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association that will begin competition in April 2007 as a specific class as part of NASA’s existing Western Endurance Racing Championship series on the West Coast. NAMEC plans to expand into the Central and Eastern regions of the USA in the future.

The North American Modern Endurance Challenge (NAMEC) will be open to C-Class sportscar prototypes meeting FIA-CN and C3 specifications and standards. The NAMEC Series will compete under the same rules and regulations as the successful Van de Vyver (V de V) Modern Endurance Challenge in Europe, and has received approval from the V de V to establish a North American series that will be operated in association with V de V to expand this racing formula outside of Europe. Constructors currently eligible for the NAMEC Series include: Radical, Chiron, ADR, EMA, Ligier, Juno, Norma, CvO, Merlin, Funyo, Fior, Lucchini, and Panhard. Other constructors can be homologated based on meeting FIA and NAMEC specifications.

The NAMEC schedule will feature six races for the championship, including the revived “12 Hours of Thunderhill” race for points that will run concurrently within the “25 Hours of Thunderhill”. Four of the six events will be three-hour races with a fifth comprising four hours of competition.

Any competitor wishing to participate to the whole season of the Modern Endurance Challenge, will pay an entry fee of $10,500 USD, for all the races of the calendar (7 races).

Sport Prototype: Dry Minimum Weight without Driver
CN
1,000cc or less weight 480kg – 1,056lb
1,300cc weight 500kg – 1,100lb
1,600cc weight 520kg – 1,144lb
2,000cc weight 540kg – 1,188lb
C3
1,000cc or less weight 505kg – 1,111lb
1,300cc weight 540kg – 1,188lb
1,600cc weight 565kg – 1,243lb
And subject to file study : - C1, C2; - CN over 2000 cc; - C3 over 1600 cc.

The 2007 NAMEC schedule and venues are:
1: April 14, Buttonwillow Raceway, 3 Hours (Day/Night)
2: June 3, Thunderhill Raceway, 3 Hours (Day)
3: July 7, Willow Springs, 3 Hours (Day/Night)
4: October 13, Buttonwillow Raceway, 3 Hours (Day/Night)
5: November 10-11, Infineon Raceway, 4 Hours (Day/Night)
6: December 1-2, Thunderhill Raceway, 12 Hours (Points) / 25 Hours (Non-Points)

To obtain a set of rules and regulations, or more information on the North American Modern Endurance Challenge, visit the Series website at [ www.modernendurance.com ] or contact Andrew Campbell and Edouard Sezionale via e-mail or telephone as provided in the “Contact Us” section of the site.

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Alliance Financial Wins ESR after 25 Hours

Photographs by Mary Seelhorst.

After qualifying second overall, the 2005 Mazda-powered Sport Racer of Alliance Financial/CSR Performance finished first in class and third overall at the forth annual NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill at Willows, California.

At the eight-hour milepost, approximately one-third the distance, the Alliance Financial Mazda sports racer was heavily pressuring one of the two Car and Driver BMW 335 turbodiesels, after making a comeback from a lengthy stop for mechanical repairs.

A second hand report said that "the team was running a Drummond build Mazda RX-8 Renesis engine", and that the team was "in 2nd place until they sheared off the CV bolts at the gearbox. It took them about 20 minutes to repair."

After the long repair stop early in the race, the Alliance Financial Mazda ran consistently fast even with numerous minor problems and come on strong at the end, winding up just only two laps shy of the previous race record. 56 cars took the green flag with some 48 cars (of 56 starters) running at the finish.

The Alliance Financial Mazda-powered sports racer was the second-fastest car on the track, which despite niggling problems, allowed the team to finish with a very strong third place overall finish.

Photo and story information is paraphrased from
[ Car & Driver's 25 Hour Update 6 ]

[ NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill ]

[ Read more ] ::

MSR on Front Row for 25 Hour Enduro

Photographs by Mary Seelhorst

The 2005 Mazda-powered Sport Racer of Alliance Financial/CSR Performance qualified second overall, and first in its class, for the 2006 version of the NASA's 25 Hours of Thunderhill at Willows, California.

Last year’s early race leader is back for a second try after mechanical problems took it out of contention last year. Only a second back of the pole winning O'Connell 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 is the Mazda-powered sports-racer fielded by the Alliance Financial team from Palo Alto, California.

Unlike the O'Connell Porsche, this is a purpose-built race car with an open cockpit, plastic bodywork, and very low curb weight. The problem with cars answering this description in years past has been reliability, but the Alliance team members naturally hope that their car will be different in this respect.

Photo and story information is paraphrased from
[ Car & Driver's 25 Hour Update 2 ]

[ NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill ]

[ Read more ] ::

Miller Claims Inaugural NASA SU Championship

Jeremy Miller, driving a Suzuki Hayabusa powered first generation Stohr CSR, was crowned the 2006 National Champion in the Super Unlimited class by the Nastional Auto Sport Association.

Miller's bright yellow sports racer circled the Mid-Ohio track at the front in the two qualifying races on Friday and Saturday, earning the pole position for Sunday's main race. Miller's best time in the race, run with the chicane between turn one and the keyhole, was a 1:31.161 lap. He battled a Competition Viper and a Porsche for the pole and overall win on each of the three race days, but was under little pressure for the final race win.

Jeremy has been running with NASA for a few years in a Porsche 993 and bought his Stohr CSR about a year ago. He runs an unmodified stock Suzuki engine becasue it's fast enough for now. He's located on the east coast and would like to see more sports racers to come race with him at NASA events.

NASA Championships (pdf file)

Group D race results (pdf file).

[ Read more ] ::

Hessel Takes First NASA TT-R Championship

Edward Hessel, driving a 2.3 liter Oldsmobile Quad 4 powered Shannon PS94 CSR, was crowned the 2006 National Champion in the Time Trial-Race class by the Nastional Auto Sport Association.

In a best of six timed session format (two sessoins per day), Edward laid down the gauntlet with a lap time of 1:35.050 during the afternoon session on Friday. Fortunately, this lap time held up through the final two timed sessions on Saturday, as the input shaft broke on Edward's transmission during the morning practice on Saturday.

After deciding to venture away from racing his Porsche 993, Edward bought the Shannon and entered NASA Time Trails in 2006 to "learn the car both driving and mechanically." In the TT-R class, he has competed against high powered Corvettes (including a Speedvision one), a 500+ bhp AWD Mitsubishi Evo 8s, an American Stock Car Monte Carlo, and 997 Cup Porsches. In 2007, Edward looks forward to racing his Shannon, wheel to wheel, and attending the "30 Years of S2000" event.

NASA Time Trial

NASA TT is an automobile road course series which provides a venue for spirited on-track competition with a high degree of both safety and convenience. NASA TT allows qualified individuals to compete in a "best lap time" format in a prepared car in advanced level open-passing sessions, and bridges the gap between HPDE 4 and wheel to wheel racing.

The TTR class is designated as a truly unlimited racecar class. It is intended for purpose built, tube frame, never street legal, and very high-end modified streetcars with a low weight/hp ratio. Modifications are completely unlimited, although open wheel cars are not legal.

NASA Championships

NASA Time Trial (NASA TT) Rules (pdf file)

Group I - TTA/TTC/TTR/TTU Results (pdf file).

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NASA National at Mid-Ohio in 2006

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) will host the amateur racing organization’s first national championship event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sept. 11-17, 2006, at the Lexington, Ohio, road course. The event will feature road racing, time trials, autocross, drifting and rallying competitions and also will incorporate participatory off-track activities, including driving demonstrations, manufacturer autocross rides, seminars and a car show.

NASA announced a new multi-year partnership with TrueSports, Inc. to hold this and other events at the the Lexington, Ohio, road course. “We have been planning a national event for many years, and we’re very happy to have TrueSports, Inc. as our partner,” said NASA Executive Director Jerry Kunzman. “Putting on our first national championship event at a prestigious facility like Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is great news for our organization and the more than 10,000 enthusiasts who make up our membership. This is going to be a unique event and we are tremendously excited to be working with the TrueSports team to bring it to reality.”

“Providing a world-class venue for ardent amateur racers is the basis of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course foundation,” said TrueSports President Michelle Trueman Gajoch. “We’re pleased to be able to add the NASA Championships to our schedule and to be able to play a part in helping NASA achieve its goal of putting on fair, affordable, fun events for automobile racers and enthusiasts.”

NASA already has a website devoted to this event; NASA Nationals.

In addition to the Championships, NASA also will sanction three regional race weekends at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Founded in 1991, the National Auto Sport Association is a membership-driven organization that stages over 120 professionally managed events for automobile racers and driving enthusiasts coast to coast. With more than 10,000 members in 15 chapters nationwide, NASA’s amateur racing programs cover a variety of motorsport disciplines, including competition road racing, high-performance driving events for street-licensed cars, rallying, autocross, drifting and time trial competitions.

[ Read more ] ::